A Leap in the Dark
by Mickey1980
Summary: Sam Beckett has to save a life, but is tempted to save his own. A/N: Crossing QL and Popular, 2 of my Fave shows. Let me know if I get it right.
1. Chapter 1

Sam Beckett felt the blue light wash over and through him, dissolving the atoms of his body and, with it, his identity and his memories. All the moments of his life were played out before him in these moments, his birth, youth, old age – and death.

Each time the details changed. One moment he saw himself married to the woman he loved, another moment, when she vanished from the church. Sometimes, he saw the daughter he lost in the years past. Sometimes, she knew. More often, she didn't.

The details always changed, and Sam with them, as his past, present and future were torn apart and reassembled, along with the universe he constantly reshaped.

He forgot these moments when the light faded, forgot the lives he lived in those moments. As the light faded now, he found himself staring at two of the most beautiful girls he ever seen.

The first was angelic, her blond hair carefully styled. He skin porcelain perfection. A vision flashed through Sam's mind of a frozen river, with flood waters rushing beneath it.

If the first was ice, the second was fire. Her black hair flowed past her temples like Medusa's serpents, and her eyes shimmered like Mímir's Well, teasing with glimpses of a thousand possible futures, each more seductive than the last.

"Harrison!" the blond shouted, "are you listening to me?"

"Sorry!" he said, assuming they meant him. "I missed that last part."

The two girls looked at each other, clearly questioning whether or not he was mentally competent. He wasn't sure if he was.

Finally, they turned back to face him, and the brunette spoke.

"We said, you're taking both of us to the prom!"

Sam Beckett swallowed. "Ooooh.. boy!" he whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

"So," the brunette said, "what do you think?"

Swallowing, Sam answered, "I think I need a minute."

As he turned to run, the leering face of his best (and only?) friend, Al Calavicci, greeted him. He jumped back. The girls looked at each other again, eyebrows arched.

"Relax Sam, it's just me." Al said.

Turning to look at the girls, he added, "And what do we have here? Sam Beckett, I think you hit the jackpot."

Sam sighed. The girls, just stared at him.

"So," the blond said.

"I'll get back to you?" Sam offered. He turned and walked away, assuming Al would catch up when he was finished leering. He ducked into an empty classroom.

A moment later Al appeared.

"Wow Sam, I cannot believe those two," he shouted.

"Aren't they a bit young," he said.

"Hey, they're 18, I'm not breaking the law. Besides, I'm just looking."

"Thank goodness that's all you _can_ do," Sam answered, trying not to sound too hostile to his only friend.

"Alas," Al answered. "Anyways, this should be _easy_."

Sam winced at the word '_easy'_ – it _never_ was.

"Your name is John Harri – Sorry! _Harrison_ John, high-school student, and those two _oh-so-lovely-my-heart-can't-take-it_ beauties are Brooke McQueen and Sam – that's _Samantha_ – McPherson, and the year is 1999, just four months before you originally leaped."

Sam was surprised, he'd never come so close to his own time before. For just a second, he wondered if he could stop the experiment.

Instead, he asked Al, "So, why am I here?"

"Ziggy figures there's a 99.9% chance you're hear to save that delicious blond – that's Brooke, by the way – from getting killed on Prom night."

"Killed!" Sam said, turning to look at the door, towards where he'd left the girls.

"Yah, apparently, Brooke gets run down on Prom night by one of the other cheerleaders. She claims it's an accident, but it seems like a lot of people thought otherwise."

"So I've got to stop it," Sam said.

"Most likely," Al answered, "but the good news, Sammy my boy, is that Prom is almost a week away, and you've got those two to help you pass the time."

The door opened suddenly, and Sam(antha) and Brooke stormed in.

"I can't believe you walked away from us," Brooke said. "A lot of people would kill or die to get an offer like that."

"Like what?" Al asked, suddenly serious.

"I'm sorry," Sam answered, "I was just a bit overwhelmed."

"So, are you _coming_ with us to prom, or not," Sam asked, her arms folded.

Al's jaw dropped. "_Both_ of them," he said, walking behind them, unseen. He looked like he couldn't breathe. "Like a threesome?" he asked.

"Like a threesome," Sam(uel) repeated, shocked.

"NO!" Brooke, shouted, misinterpreting Sam(uel)'s comment. "We just don't want to fight and we don't want ruin prom for one of us. So you take us both."

Al turned to face Sam, his expression solemn. "You're really got to love it when the universe gives you something that… _damn_ good!"

Then, with a chuckle, he was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

"You're... _okay_ with this idea – the _three_ of us?" Sam(uel) asked.

"It's just the prom hotshot," Sam(antha) snapped, "turn off the porno fantasies."

"I know, I know," he said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "I just don't see why either of you would be willing to do this."

Brooke shrugged. "We both want to go to Prom, and neither of us wants to deprive the other."

"So, you _care_ about each other?" he asked.

"Well, yeah. She's my s..." she paused. "She's my friend."

Sam(antha) scowled at Brooke's verbal stumble.

"And after Prom?" Sam(uel) asked, standing directly in front of the blonde.

"I don't know," she said.

"So," Becket continued, looking at the dark-haired girl, "whatever happens, _someone_ I care about gets hurt."

He turned away from them to look out the window.

"And how close will you two be after that?" he asked, pressing his forehead against the window.

"I don't know," Brooke repeated.

"Look Harrison," Sam(antha) interrupted, "We don't know what's going to happen after Prom, or next summer, or next year, we just want to have the night, ok? You think you can manage that?"

'Harrison' turned back towards the girls, smiling.

"Absolutely. It's just one night, what harm could it do?"

As soon as he said the words, he took a deep breath. He knew how much harm it was going to do – if he didn't stop it.


	4. Chapter 4

Sam Beckett was careful to avoid both girls for the rest of the day. He only had to prevent a car accident, he reminded himself. He didn't need to be complicating Harrison and the girl's relationships any more than they had themselves.

Instead, he looked at Harrison's schedule and finished the rest of the day's classes without making it too obvious that he knew more than the teachers. He did correct the mannish Science teacher on one point, which earned him a glare that made him wonder if he'd live to see Prom night.

Both Brooke and Sam(antha) were in that class and both shot him a sympathetic look when it seemed like this Miss Glass might throw something toxic at him.

Afterwards, they confronted him.

"Are you avoiding us?" Brooke asked.

"A little," he answered.

"Why?" McPherson interrupted.

"It's... complicated," was the best he could do. "I just... I just thought I... need some time to process all this, that's all."

"Do you want to back out?"

"No," Beckett answered. He could cancel, but then the girls might go without him, and he wouldn't be there to save Brooke.

"I still want to go," he said.

"So, we'll see you when you pick us up," Brooke said, turning to leave.

As she walked she added, "Do you need a ride Sam?"

Beckett said "No" as McPherson said "Sure."

Both girls turned to look at him as he realized Brooke hadn't meant him. "Sorry," he said. "I wasn't paying attention."

The girls looked at him with sympathy. McPherson patted his shoulder as she turned to follow Brooke.


	5. Chapter 5

Sam Becket had just arrived at Harrison's home and flopped on his bed when Al said, "Hey Sam!" causing him to flip over in fright.

"_Dammit_ Al!" he shouted.

Al apologized as Sam sat up.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Ah, just wondering if you'd cashed in on any part of that three-way yet."

"You're a pig Al," Sam replied.

"Hey, at least I wouldn't be turning down two beauties who wanna throw themselves at me," he answered.

"At _Harrison_, Al. They want to throw themselves at Harrison, not _me_."

"Well, you _are_ Harrison right now. Funny thing about him, he was apparently a bit of a science whiz before Brooke's accident. Straight A's all the way, but he bombed out in senior year and ended up working in a coffee shop. Seems he never got over what happened to Brooke. Probably blamed himself."

"It wasn't his fault. You said some other girl did it."

"Yeah, Nicole... _Julian_! She ended up bombing out of college and going to rehab – a real winner. Looks like no one got over it, even Sam-_Samantha_, she didn't go to college either, ended up tending bar in northern California."

Sam sighed. "I guess I better not screw up," he said.

- -

Sam sat in Harrison's room for a long time after Al left, thinking about Brooke, Sam and Harrison. He hadn't asked to be responsible for so many people's lives. He hadn't offered to give up any chance of a life of his own.

He picked up the phone. It took him several tries before he remembered the number.

"Sam Beckett," a familiar voice answered.

"Hi, Dr. Beckett. You don't know me, but don't go through with it."

Sam wondered if he was creating a paradox.

"Who is this?" the now-tense voice on the phone asked.

"The experiment – Just... don't go through with it. Just let someone _else_ leap."

"Who is this? How do you know about..." the voice on the other line sounded angry.

"Never mind – Crank call, that's all. Just a joke," Sam said, hanging up the phone.

"Change your mind?" Al said.

Sam turned, a shocked expression on his face. "How...?"

"You told me about getting the call before you first leaped," Al answered. "It wasn't hard to figure out that it was you, and, now that you're so close..."

"Why didn't you try and stop me?" Sam asked.

"How could I?" Al answered with a shrug. "Even if I _could_ physically stop you, I've got no right to tell you not to take your life back."

"But you had to come and tell me all about these kids and what happens to them if I don't change history?" Sam sighed.

"Well, I told you what would happen. You decided to hang up the phone."

"I shouldn't have picked it up in the first place." Sam ran his fingers through his hair. He was very tired.

"Look at like this, Sam: If you hadn't at least made the call, I wouldn't have known to come and try and talk you out of it. Real trip, time-travel, eh?"

"Yeah, a real trip," Sam said, lying back on the bed.


	6. Chapter 6

Sam Beckett convinced Harrison's mother to let him stay home the next day, feigning illness. Less chance of screwing up, he thought. After all, Brooke was safe until Prom night. That much he knew.

It was near dinner when a knock came on his door, and Brooke entered.

"Hey Harrison," she said, "heard you weren't well."

"Just tired really, a little stressed," he answered.

Brooke took a seat on Harrison's bed.

"Harrison, I'm sorry about this – we thought it was the best thing, we didn't mean to put a stress you out."

He could see the appeal of both girls. Their looks aside, they had a kindness to them that was rare at the end of the century.

"Brooke," he asked, "tell me something."

"What?"

"Why me?" he asked, sitting in a chair. "Why are two beautiful, nice girls willing to throw away their friendship over me? I mean, nothing against me, but no one's that great."

"Maybe we don't agree," she said, "and we're not throwing our friendship away – we're as close as ever."

"But," he interrupted, "If one of you... succeeds, and ends up with me. How's the other going to face that?"

Brooke sat on the bed. "I'd wish you and Sam... all the best – and hope she'd so the same." Her voice faltered as she said it.

"Do you really believe that?" he asked, leaning forward.

"I don't know what else to do," was her answer.

"Do you love me?" he asked her.

"I don't know," she answered. "I think so."

"And Sam?"

"I love her too, but..." her voice faltered again as she stood. "when I think of you two together, I... it hurts."

"I'm sorry," Beckett sighed.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Been sitting on this for awhile, planning to make it a bit longer, but I think I'll have to accept that this is where it's meant to end. Thanks to anyone who's read it and esp. my (one) reviewer, who inspired me to finish it.

Prom night arrived. Sam (Beckett) picked up both girls, who seemed in surprisingly good spirits, even holding each other's hand as they entered, with "Harrison" following. All Beckett could think about was the speeding car moving ever closer to Brooke.

They drank punch with too much sugar and not enough alcohol, danced to songs none of them would admit to liking if confronted, and talked about everything but the elephant in the room.

It was over an hour before they finally confronted him. They were sitting together, the girls expressions looking more appropriate to a funeral than a party.

"Harrison, this isn't working," Brooke said.

"It was your idea," Sam (Beckett) answered.

"Look, we know," Brooke answered, waving her hand as she searched for the right words. She looked at Sam (McPherson), who looked equally lost.

"It's just... it hurts too much."

"You want me to choose?" Sam (Beckett) said.

They both nodded.

"Well, I knew this was coming, so.. I'm prepared."

"You know which one of us..." Brooke began, only to be interrupted.

"Yeah," Sam (Beckett) said. "I have." Taking a deep breath, he continued. "Look, I don't want either one of you to get hurt – I hate that more than anything – but, yeah. I have."

They looked at him with expectation turning to impatience.

"I choose..." he said, "neither of you."

The girls looked stunned – and hurt.

"Listen, how many people end up with their high school boyfriend or girlfriend? These things don't _last_, friendships _do_, and I wouldn't trade my friendship with _either_ of you for anything. And, no matter _what_ you say, choosing _either_ of you _will_ hurt the other one. That will hurt _your_ relationship and that person's relationship with _me_. The _only_ way for us to remain friends, _either_ of you with _me_ or you with each other, is to keep it as friends."

"Look," he continued, "I love _both_ of you more than _anything_ in the world. There's no _way_ I'd trade our friendship for any high school relationship that'll likely be over by the time we go to college."

Beckett looked at each girl. Their mouths were hanging open and he hoped he hadn't made things worse.

"Nice speech," Al said, standing behind the girls. "You been working on that all day?"

He had. Ever since the answer hit him at five o'clock that morning, but he'd tell Al about that later, when no one else was around to see him talking to what appeared to be empty air.

The real question now was, how would they react? He braced himself to tackle Brooke if she even looked at the front entrance.

Brooke's laughter, followed quickly by Sam's, told him he'd made the right decision.

"So," he asked, "are we good?"

The girls exchanged glances. "Yeah," Sam (McPherson) said, "I think we are."

"Yeah," Brooke agreed.

"Cool," Sam (Beckett) said, waiting for the blue light to talk him away. When it didn't, he looked around to see Al looking at his PDA and laughing.

"You did it Sam! Brooke's alive and in Med. school. Harrison's getting on the fast track to a PhD and Sam's writing for the L.A. Times. Looks like a win!"

Sam was about to smile when he saw Nicole Julian storm into the room, marching towards Brooke.

He managed to put himself in between them as the shorter blond began to hurl a flurry of profanities and accusations at Brooke – claiming she'd convinced her date to stand her up among other things. Brooke told her she was crazy. Sam (McPherson) claimed that was an understatement. Sam (Beckett) just asked everyone to calm down.

Finally, Josh and the others showed up, pulling Nicole away, still hurling curses at Brooke. Sam (Beckett) looked at Al.

"Well, no rehab," he said, checking his Blackberry again, "and she finished college, but I doubt she's any happier."

He turned back towards Brooke and Sam.

"So, whaddya wanna do now?" he asked.

"Well, I think we can skip the drive and watching the sunrise," Sam (McPherson) said.

"Why not?" Sam (Beckett) shot back. "No rule that three friends can't watch the sun come up. We'll just skip the make-out session."

The girls laughed. Brooke took Sam (McPherson)'s hand. "C'mon, we might as well."

Al burst through the girls with a shocked expression on his face.

"OH... MY... GOD Sam! You're not gonna believe this..."

Sam (Beckett) didn't hear the rest, he was already enveloped in a familiar blue light, as his universe exploded once again.

**A/N: **Harrison's speech is actually the first part of this that I wrote. It kinda inspired the rest. I actually copied most of Brook's dialogue in the last scene from the last episode of Popular, only changing Harrison's, since (here) it's Beckett speaking instead. Review (good or bad) are appreciated (good for obvious reasons, bad if they give me advice on how to do it better in the future).

xo


End file.
